novelsite Chapter 211 The Sociable Scoundrel
Chapter 211 The Sociable Scoundrel
Chapter 211 The Sociable Scoundrel
As soon as he finished speaking, Gavin reached out and patted Otto's arms hard.
Otto's arms were indeed muscular and thick, which was very much in line with his profession as a firefighter.
The profession of firefighter has lost some of its sanctity since the Twin Towers disaster, forced by the US government.
Moreover, the fire station has become a paradise for gay men, with a far greater number of gay men inside than outside.
But no matter how many flaws they have, one thing has never changed: firefighters generally have a high level of training, and unlike the often overweight police officers, they genuinely enjoy building muscle.
Otto's physique makes him an excellent field operative. Even if he can't fire a gun, he can still contribute a lot when exploring houses, just by carrying a fire axe.
Sensing Gavin's gesture, Otto nodded excitedly.
"Gavin!"
He excitedly remarked to Gavin.
"I never expected you to be so approachable! Good heavens, I thought you'd be like you on TV!"
"ha?"
Upon hearing this, Gavin squinted his eyes with amusement and then asked.
"What's wrong with me on TV? Stop it, buddy. I'm very approachable on TV too. Have you forgotten my interviews, my fans?"
"No, no, no, I mean, you know that was on TV, right? I thought it was all for the show. I didn't expect you to be so kind in real life!"
Otto quickly offered an explanation, then simply grabbed Gavin's arm and showed him to the four or five people behind him.
He simply grabbed Gavin and said that.
"Guys, look at our big star! He doesn't look like a star at all! I thought it was one of our relatives visiting us!"
"Angelo, you really need to put a good show for lunch. We need to treat Gavin to a nice meal, maybe even a few drinks!"
At this point, Otto excitedly grabbed Gavin and pointed to a fat, bald guy in front of him.
Pointed at by Otto, the bald Angelo grinned, while Otto continued to explain to Gavin.
"That's Angelo Pierce, our chef, and the owner of a Mexican restaurant before the apocalypse. His restaurant was supposedly just a hair's breadth away from getting a Michelin star!"
"Oh? Is that so? Then I'm in for a treat! You know, finding a good cook in the apocalypse isn't easy~"
Gavin immediately nodded to Angelo, then released Otto and strode into the crowd.
In front of Corbin, Otto, and Jonathan, Gavin very naturally greeted everyone at Ranch 6666 individually, and even gave most of them a warm hug.
Especially those two farm girls who were average-looking but had rather attractive big butts.
After being hugged by Gavin, the two of them could barely stand, and they awkwardly clung to each other as they looked at Nikita and the others.
Nikita couldn't help but laugh and roll her eyes, because even she, a novice not long ago, understood the look in the eyes of those two farm girls.
There was a clear message in his eyes.
You ladies are eating so deliciously spicy food!
Stared at like that, Adriana pouted unceremoniously and whispered to Nikita.
"This is unbelievable! He's never hugged me like that before!"
"Ha, if all you want is a hug, I can help you with that, Adriana~"
Nikita exchanged pleasantries, patted Adriana's arm, then strode forward, craned her neck, and forced a friendly smile as she stood before Corbin.
Nikita doesn't really like smiling at people, but she's well aware that her identity has changed.
Even if you set aside the political attributes, the identity of a leader's wife still has a considerable social aspect, and Nikita doesn't mind changing some of her little habits for Gavin.
As Nikita approached, Corbin swallowed hard.
Is this Gavin's lover? Good heavens, even if it's the end of the world, this guy is still eating so well?
While inwardly feeling envious and jealous, Corbin extended his right hand and shook hands with Nikita politely.
At this moment, he really wished he had a significant amount of Latin American blood, so that he could ask for a kiss on the cheek with a clear conscience.
Nikita was particularly sensitive to men's greed, so after a brief handshake, she quickly released Corbin and frowned slightly as she looked at his somewhat dazed face.
Corbin was slightly taken aback when he met Nikita's gaze, while the old lady Anne beside him rubbed her forehead helplessly.
My nephew has revealed another bad habit of his: this guy has a particular fondness for pretty girls. Sigh...
Knowing her nephew well, Mrs. Anne quickly patted Jonathan, who then pushed her to follow beside Nikita, separating her from the absent-minded Corbyn.
And so, the two teams quietly merged together, and the members of both sides gradually came together in a warm atmosphere.
And Edward, Sean, and Steve.
The three of them waited on the plane for a few minutes to make sure that the helicopter landing did not attract any more zombies before getting off.
The guys at 6666 Ranch still have a lot of fear of the Black Hawk helicopter. It's only natural for a normal person to be wary when they see a Black Hawk.
After the three of them left the plane, Steve naturally blended into the group and chatted with the cowboys of Ranch 6666.
As for Sean and Edward, they formed a temporary team and began inspecting the helicopters one by one.
Civilian helicopters have far fewer maintenance procedures and lower maintenance standards compared to military helicopters. Even if Sean skips a few checks, there might not be any problems.
But military helicopters are different. Although, in theory, military aircraft are more robust and durable than civilian ones.
However, in reality, considering the scope of weapons, military helicopters all have exceptionally standardized inspection and maintenance procedures, which Sean cannot afford to ignore.
Seeing Sean and his companion busy at work, Corbin finally found a moment to exchange a few pleasantries with Gavin, who was getting along well with his cowboys.
"Gavin!"
He then softly called Gavin's name.
Upon hearing this, Gavin stopped chatting with Jonathan and the other cowboy, and turned to look at Corbin with the other cowboys.
Corbin, suppressing his annoyance at the cowboy and Gavin getting along too well, pointed to Sean and Edward in the distance and said.
"Gavin, how did you find such amazing guys? They must have been in the military, and they can even fly helicopters and do maintenance!"
"Huh? Dude, why are you asking me that? My guys are just as good as yours, isn't that normal?"
Gavin immediately smiled and agreed, and patted Jonathan and the other cowboy on the shoulder.
"Look at your fine lad, so spirited. You're lucky to have a guy like that, Corbyn."
"Ah—"
Upon hearing Gavin's comment, Corbyn's expression immediately became somewhat awkward.
Jonathan and the other cowboy, on the other hand, were actually quite amused, not angry, but rather delighted.
"Tsk tsk!"
Jonathan wasn't about to indulge Corbin's personality, and he immediately scoffed at Gavin.
"Gavin, don't say that. Not everyone thinks as highly of us ordinary cowboys as you do. At least Corbyn doesn't think we're any kind of so-called talents, haha~"
"Are you kidding me, Joe? Every guy who survives the apocalypse is at least a lucky survivor, isn't he?"
Gavin laughed and patted Jonathan on the shoulder, then casually ruffled Jonathan's hair.
Just as Jonathan was getting a little used to his enthusiastic gestures, Gavin suddenly changed his tone, pointed at the two dogs, and said...
"Martin, this animal expert, rarely praises other people's dogs. I have at least seven dogs at my camp, but Martin has never praised any of them."
"You seem to know how to raise dogs very well. Those two dogs are yours, right? You've even managed to raise a Labrador with more than a hint of ferocity. That's fucking professional and outstanding, Mazefak!"
"So, if possible, could you take over the dog-raising duties for me in the future?"
"In this apocalyptic world, we need more fierce dogs, and I need you, buddy!"
"Huh?!?!"
When Gavin mentioned having a dog, Jonathan immediately forgot about Gavin rubbing his hair.
Gavin's action made him a little uncomfortable, after all, they had only just met, but Gavin needed me, and he really admired my dog!
Thinking of this, Jonathan couldn't help but roll his eyes at Corbyn.
He rolled his eyes and spoke emphatically to Gavin.
"Gavin, don't you think keeping a dog in the apocalypse is a waste of food?"
At this point, Jonathan gave Corbin a quick glare, then turned back to Gavin and continued speaking earnestly.
"After all, no matter how well a dog is trained, it can't fight off zombies. Dogs that have eaten zombie flesh and blood will turn into zombie dogs after they die. I've seen that transformation and I've heard your broadcasts."
"So, don't you think it's a bit of a waste to keep a dog?"
"How is that possible!"
Upon hearing Jonathan's explanation, Gavin immediately shook his head and smiled at Jonathan.
"Dogs may not be able to fight zombies, but how can a dog only have one function?"
"Whether it's assisting in hunting, aiding in searches, or most importantly, providing surveillance, a superior post-apocalyptic guard dog can offer immense convenience to explorers!"
"As for dog food, come on, there's food everywhere in Texas. I bet I could feed a whole crew for at least a few months at any random supermarket!"
"Moreover, with a significant reduction in human activity, the number of wild animals will increase dramatically in the future. As long as we maintain a strong enough capacity for action, we will not lack meat to feed our dogs!"
"To exchange a portion of the dog's food for a higher level of security, what a great deal! I simply don't know how I could possibly lose money."
"Your role is unparalleled, Jonathan, you need to be more confident!"
At this point, Gavin simply put his arm around the short Jonathan and burst into laughter.
While excitedly laughing along with Gavin, Jonathan turned around and gave Corbyn a meaningful eye roll.
As Jonathan looked at Corbin, two of the cowboys from Ranch 6666, not far away, clapped their hands and asked Gavin from a distance.
"And what about us, Gavin? We don't have Jonathan's special abilities!"
"Ha, what do you mean by special skills? I never thought we had any special skills. They're just different hobbies of each of us."
As Gavin answered, he raised his hand and beckoned to Otto.
The waiter was walking over with a steaming bowl of sausages and a pitcher of beer.
"Otto, give me a bottle of wine!"
Gavin called out from afar, and Otto hurried over to Gavin and handed him a bottle.
After Gavin got the beer, he simply grabbed the whole pitcher and started dividing it up among himself.
One bottle for myself, one for Jonathan, one for Otto, one for the two unfamiliar cowboys, and one for Eugene.
The beer was gone in no time, while Gavin, Eugene, and Jonathan took a big gulp.
Otto only remembered that he should have given Corbin a bottle after he had drunk most of the beer.
He then gave Corbyn an apologetic look, blaming Gavin for acting too quickly.
And Corbyn—
Looking at his buddies who were already drinking together, he took a stiff breath.
His eyes were fixed on Gavin, and he was filled with so much grievance that he could hardly express it.
How can this guy be so damn domineering? He doesn't even respect me; he's already treating his own guys like his own!
And—and—those two scoundrels, Jonathan and Otto, are working way too well for him!
You traitor! You eat the food from 6666 Ranch, but you can't take your eyes off Gavin, that bastard!
Corbin's gaze toward Otto and Jonathan grew increasingly hostile until Steve noticed his look, then brought out a beer and sat down next to Corbin.
Seeing Steve hand him a beer, Corbin's expression finally improved a bit, so he took the beer and asked Steve.
"Hello, you are ————"
"Ha, I'm Steve, the chief cowboy of Gavin Ranch."
"Aha————"
Corbyn was immediately displeased.
Seeing that Corbin's face was still very pale, Steve smiled and shrugged, then naturally sat down next to Corbin, gestured towards Gavin with his lip, and said.
"Gavin's a tough guy, isn't he?"
"That's right, buddy, you're right. I totally understand you. Working under a guy like that must be exhausting!"
Corbin immediately empathized with Steve, opening a beer and taking a sip with him before continuing with a nostalgic expression.
"I'm also the chief cowboy of Ranch 6666. God, we two really should have something in common."
"But I'm much luckier than you should be. After all, Aunt Annie was in charge of 6666 Ranch before the apocalypse. Although she was quite fierce, she didn't interfere much after the apocalypse. She was too sad. The loss of family and younger generations is not something an old person can easily bear."
"But Gavin is different. If this guy stays this assertive, working under him must be incredibly tiring, buddy!"
"Even if I were just guessing, I could understand your difficulties, sigh!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Corbyn, holding the bottle of liquor, gestured with his lip towards Steve.
Following the direction of his mouth, Steve saw that Gavin had already started playing games with Jonathan, Otto, and a group of others!
Seeing this, Steve shook his head with amusement, then picked up the bottle and clinked it with Corbin's.
"It's great that you understand. We chief cowboys are cowboys after all."
"But thinking about it, it's true. It's a bit much to ask of us, the chief cowboys, to do the boss's work. After all, we've always been the ones being managed. If we had to take on everything ourselves, it wouldn't be a good feeling. You've been working really hard lately, haven't you?"
At this point, Steve took a sip of his drink, while Corbin's face paled, and he sighed helplessly.
He's been having a tough time lately. The temple is small but the winds are strong, and the water is shallow but there are many turtles. There are less than twenty people in the 6666 Ranch, and several factions have already split up!
What Corbyn didn't understand was that the more insecure an environment is, the more people like to seek more security by constantly sticking together.
He didn't understand the underlying reason why his men kept forming cliques; he only felt that they had no respect for him, and the situation was getting worse.
Steve had seen too many people like Corbyn. They were born into privilege, their status was relatively high but not high enough, so they generally grew up to be people who were neither good nor bad, and who were ambitious but unlucky.
So Steve started chatting with Corbin and quickly became good friends with him.
At the same time, Gavin's team also integrated well with the 6666 Ranch team.
Martin and Eugene, those two bastards, easily got on the good side of the cowboys, jumping around and having a great time.
As for Edward and Sean, who returned from maintaining the plane, along with Anthony and Abraham, these former soldiers also provided Otto's men, who were rural commoners who were not cowboys, with a great deal of security.
Their individual stories from their time in the military alone drew cheers from the men and women.
Adriana was also a lively person, and after drinking a couple of beers, she simply started doing a striptease in the middle of the camp.
However, the weather was a bit chilly, and she couldn't take off any more clothes after a certain amount. But this had already made the young men of Ranch 6666 drool. Even Corbin, who was looking at Adriana from afar, had more than just a drool on his lips!
As for the Mexican food at 6666 Ranch, well, it tastes pretty good, but Gavin still prefers Doris's stew and Lao Feng's home-style stir-fries.
But Gavin wouldn't bring up those things at this time; he simply acted as if he had forgotten that he was in the apocalypse and led the guys present in a lively party.
At the edge of the crowd, old lady Anne, holding a plate, looked at Gavin, her eyes welling up with tears.
Gavin's ability to blend seamlessly into the crowd and dance and sing at any moment, inspiring the cowboys to revel, reminded her of her favorite youngest son.
Her eldest son is a tough guy, otherwise he wouldn't have become a lawyer and a senator, while her second son is all about business and interests, which doesn't fit the farm mentality.
His youngest son, when he was alive, was just like Gavin—a guy who could easily blend into the cowboy community and was loved by almost all of them.
This is also a major reason why Anne is more optimistic about her youngest son inheriting the farm.
As for now, looking at Gavin, who had already turned his men's mouths upturned from licking them, old lady Anne smiled bitterly, then sat there, resting her chin on her hand and shaking her head.
Given the atmosphere today, will Gavin give his camp the opportunity to send people to their camp to observe the situation?
If she's not mistaken, Gavin will probably find a hundred reasons to lure his lads onto those helicopters after the midday welcome party is over!
Is there any need for me to stop them? The cowboys' hearts are no longer with Ranch 6666. In the apocalypse, what they need is not a stable job, but a sense of security and a more satisfying life.
And Gavin—
The cowboys were extremely pleased with him, weren't they?
He's such a sociable jerk!
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